Securing device



Feb. 9, 1954 s, w s 2,668,729

SECURING DEVICE Filed March 11, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Feb. 9, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFICE SECURING DEVICE Gilbert S. Watters, Davenport, Iowa Application March 11, 1950, Serial No. 149,066

Claims. 1

Buildings of hospitals for the insane and the like must confine the inmates with certainty under normal conditions; and in emergencies, such as fire, they must release the inmates quickly and with equal certainty.

This invention relates to securing devices for openwork guards for exit openings in such buildings, and has for its principal object to insure that the guards will remain secure normally but can be quickly and certainly released in an emergency.

Generally speaking, this is accomplished by providing securing devices each having a base or body portion adapted to be made fast to the building permanently as by bolts or other suitable means and a. locking portion normally securing the guard against opening but deformable by suitable force, such as a blow with a firemans ax, to make it inoperative and release the guard.

In the accompanying diagrammatic drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a window with an openwork guard equipped with securing devices embodying the invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views indicated by the lines 2-2 and 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View illustrating a modification of the fastening means; i

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a window and guard equipped with another form of securing device embodying the invention;

Fig. 6 is an end view looking from the left in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 'i-l of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a similar section of a slight modification; and

Fig. 9 is a front elevation corresponding to Fig. 5 but with the bars of the guard arranged in horizontal instead of vertical position.

In Fig. 1, IE! indicates a Window frame equipped with a sash II and adapted to be permanently installed in a building.

I2 indicates generally an openwork guard including a plurality of upright rods I3 Welded at It to horizontal rails or bars I5.

The rod I3 at the right in Fig. 1 has its end portions received in suitable openings in hinged brackets I6 secured to the building whereby the guard is mounted to swing hinge-like, about the axis of the rod I3 to open the window.

At the left in Fig. 1, there is an upright rod I'I, which serves as a latch bar and is associated with securing devices which make it fast for normal purposes, and thus secure the guard in closed position, but which may be quickly and surely released in an emergency.

The lower end of the rod I7 passes through an opening I8 in an arm I 9 and comes to rest at the bottom on an arm 20, both of those arms being on a bracket generally indicated at 22 and here shown in a form including a rear portion 24 and a front portion 25 fastened together by rivets 2B The upper end of the rod I1 passes through an opening 2'! in an arm 28 on a fixed bracket 29, and has its extreme upper end portion received in an inverted cup 30 on an arm 3| of a. fixed bracket 32, said brackets being made fast to the building by screw bolts 33 or any other suitable fashion.

Since the rod I I is held against outward movement by the arms I8 and 28, and against downward movement by the arm 20 and upward movement by the arm 3 I, it will be clear that the guard I2 is secured in closed position to remain there normally.

When an emergency rises, application of suitable force to either of the arms 29 or St will serve to release the rod !I. For example, a fireman may strike the arm 2!] a downward or downwardly inclined blow with his ax and deform it so as to remove it out of the path of the lower end of the rod I I and permit the rod to be withdrawn from the openings I8 and 21, thereby releasing the guard I2 to swing to the right in Fig. 1. Also, the fireman may strike a similar upward or upwardly inclined blow on the arm 35 and remove it from the upper end of the rod I1.

The bracket generally indicated by 22 is well adapted to be made in two parts by bending up bar stock and riveting or welding them together. It also lends itself to casting.

The bracket 32 is well adapted to be made by casting or by bending bar stock and welding the inverted cup 30 to the arm 3 I. These variations will serve to suggest the wide range of forms in which the invention may be embodied out of familiar materials and yet fasten the guards securely for normal conditions while yielding to suitable force under emergency to release the guard quickly.

Because there is some demand for guards to be readily locked and unlocked for window cleaning and other servicing, the bracket 22 is shown as having a slot 35 adapted to receive a staple 36 fixed to a bracket 31 made fast to the wall as by bolts 38. With such an arrangement, a padlock 39 may be used to secure or release the bracket 23, and when released it can by a suitable tilting be removed so as to release the rod I I.

In Fig. 4, there is shown a bracket, generally indicated by 40, includ ng 8. base portion 4| and a deformable arm 42 equipped with a cup 43 to receive the lower end of the rod l'l. Such a bracket may be used with brackets shown at 29 and 32 in Fig. 1 to make up securing devices corresponding to those shown in Fig. 1 but without any padlock. They may be released by force applied with the firemans ax or otherwise in an emergency.

When the securing devices include brackets of cast gray; iron, the; deforming blows may, and usually 'will,-result in breakage. When made of other familiar materials, the deforming will include bending, or bending and twisting or other distortion.

In Fig, 5, the guard 12 is fastened by rods 44 and 45, similar to the rod 11. At -..the:left..of..

Fig. 5, the upper end of the rod,.pass es through v an opening 46 in the arm 41 of a bracket 48 secured to the wall by bolts 49. of the rod 44 passes freely ,through an opening The lower, .end..-;

50 in .an, .arm- 5l of ,a bracket 52 fastenedto the wall. jIts, extreme lower, end. fits .in a cup. 53 in arr-arm .54 of a bracket55 secure'dto thewall,

A limiting .collar 56 fitting. beneath ,the arm 5| prevents the r0d..44,fro,m,being lifted,out

of the cup,5 3, .and hence .it is made secureuntih the deforming force is applied. This may, again,

be a blowwitha firemans ax against ,the arm-Q 54 or thearm 54 and the cup 53., As,an,alterna tive,-. the blow may be applied to the extreme, upper. end of the rod.4 4.to drive it throughthe.

cup .53, which.may be made of a variety of ma: 4

terials' for example, glass of the kind commonly used in insulators for cross arms, terra cotta,;.

porcelain, and a great variety of other plasticmaterials.

InFigPB, thearrangement is similanand, the

cup .51 holding the lower endv of the rod. 44 is madeof pressed be pierced by the bottom end of the rod 44 .or

sheet. metal that may either driven. through the opening 58in the, arm,,54... Of course, in this ,formalso, the force ,may be such. asto deform the arm 54 mithonwithout disturbing .the cup 51.

At vthe right of Fig. 5, the. arrangementjs somewhat similar, to .thatshown .in, Figs.,, 6, '7,

and.8,except that -.the rod, 45 passes, through I the rai1s,l5 and forms a hinge,

InFig. 9, the arrangement co respondsto that shown. in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, exceptthatthe rods, 13 of the guard arehorizontal and therails l5 are vertical; With. that arrangement, the guandcan bereleasedv at thetop and swung,

downwardlyto form apart. of a fire escap'e. I

The securing,, devices here illustrated lend 55 themselves equally well to existing guardswhere by the ,safety, featuresjof the. ,buildinga'can, be... brought up .to ,dateat lowcost. They also lend themselves. to new installations.

latter, instead of applying the hinges andbrajck Inmany of the.

ets to -the, window frame they maybeadvane w ena i d-ii eb fldine r o e en u h:

from the window frame to insure ,that' an inmate cannotre'achthe deformable portion, either with A hands or with such objects as may accidentally become. availablewithin the building.

Thaims e mete als menti ned e di gs:

'4 trated are intended to be suggestive only, because of the great variety that is possible.

I claim:

1. A device for securing a hinged openwork guard which extends across an opening in a building which comprises, a latching rod engaging an exterior portion of said openwork guard, means for securing said latching rod against outward movement relative to said opening, a laterally extending arm-havinga body'portion fixed to saidbuilding and a locking portion abutting one end of said latching rod to prevent movement thereof axially in one direction, said locking portion being formed of a material and shapedso as to be readily deformable in response to a force applied thereto to release said latching rod,,for moviement in said one direction, and means engaging said latching rod to prevent.axia.lmovement thereof in the opposite direction.

2. A guardfor an openingin a. wall of a build: 1, ing comprising an openwork. guard acrossnsaidj. opening, a bracketattachedtoand, extending fromsaid .wall adjacent one side of said open- 1 7 ing, said bracket having a portiongextending outwardly beyond said openwork guard and ha ing an opening,,a latching rod, inserted.through saidopening and engagingsaid openwork guardf, and arms attached to said wall and, abuttingg theg ends .of said rod, said v arms beingformedof'a material and shaped for ready deformation response to a force applied thereto...but,;being otherwise relatively immovable, whereby ;said,rod. and said openwork guard are held. against movement prior to deformation of on of saidd formable arms.

3. A device for securing anopenworkguardin normally closed position across an opening a building, comprising-a latch, ,meansfor posi tioning said latch in engagement withthe guard to fix the latter against 0 ovement,, an imean for locking the-latch in en a ement. withgthe guard comprising an arm having a ,bodyportion. and a locking portion, meansforattaching. the-= body portion to a building with the locking lpor. tion. in engagement withthe latch. .to Lhold ;,th latter in looking position, said locking porti :in which said locking portion comprises ;.a, fran;-;

gible insert in said arm.

cruisers Wm References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESKPA'IENTS 

